April 1, 2013

Big Story Weather – April 1, 2013

Big Story Weather from March 29-31: A storm system that moved through the Southern Plains and Gulf Coast region brought some severe weather to the area, with a few reported tornadoes and also hail and damaging winds along with heavy rainfall to the region.

Big Story Weather Discussion for April 1: Low pressure moving up the East Coast will bring a few rain showers to the southeast. High pressure building in over the Northern Plains will bring another round of colder weather to the area. A few showers will be found along the Northern California border. The remainder of the country will enjoy a tranquil day.

Here is the weather for a few select cities:

Buffalo NY: Partly cloudy skies will dominate the weather as high temps rise to around 32F and overnight lows will be near 26F.

Gulfport MS: Partly cloudy skies and mild with a high near 71F and lows will be around 63F.

Sioux Falls SD: The region will see partly cloudy skies and cool weather with a high near 28F and overnight lows around 21F.

Billings MT: The region will enjoy partly cloudy skies and mild weather with a high near 45F and overnight lows around 40F.

Portland OR: Partly cloudy skies with a high near 57F and overnight lows around 50F.

April 1, 2013 Storm Tracker Update:

Atlantic Basin: Low pressure moving through Central Europe will bring rain and snow showers to the region. A second area of low pressure is moving towards England. This low will bring rain showers and gusty winds to the area. Low pressure moving along the Northeast United States will bring a few showers the Southeast.

Eastern Pacific: Low pressure moving through the Central Pacific will slowly make its way towards the West Coast of the US. A second area of low pressure is moving through the Gulf of Alaska and will bring snow showers to the region.

Western Pacific: Low pressure moving away from Japan will move into the open Pacific bringing with it winds and higher seas. A new low is forming over Japan and will bring showers to the region. A third area of low pressure is moving through Southern Russia and will bring snow showers to the region.

Indian Ocean: A strong area of low pressure is embedded in the monsoonal wave and will bring stronger winds and also a few showers to Southern India.

Southern Hemisphere: Low pressure moving away from the Fiji Islands will bring strong winds and high seas to the open Pacific. Another area of low pressure is moving along the southern coast of South America and will bring a few showers to the tip of South America. Multiple areas of low pressure will travel the open oceans of the Southern Hemisphere bringing some rain to South Africa and also Western Australia.

Five-Day Storm Index Outlook for April 1-5:

Buffalo NY: The next five days the region will be impact free with no major weather expected.

Gulfport MS: The region will be impact free today, however the remainder of the period will experience slight to moderate impacts with showers and thunderstorms expected.

Sioux Falls SD: The region will see no impacts over the next five days.

Billings MT: The region will start impact free, however by April 5 there could be a slight impact as showers move into the area.

Portland OR: No impacts forecasted for the start of the period, however by April 4-5 the region will see light rain showers which will create a slight impact for the area.

Climate Watch for March 27-31:

These past few days, we have been seeing a lot of places warming up and returning to slightly above normal temps as the cold area of high pressure finally pushed away from the US.

Buffalo NY: The period started with temps running around 1-9 degrees below normal, then finished the period with temps around 1-10 degrees above normal.

Gulfport MS: The region started the period with temps about 1-15 degrees below normal, however warmed up for the remainder of the period with temps about 1-2 degrees above normal.

Sioux Falls SD: The period started with temps about 1 below normal and then warmed up to around 8-16 degrees above normal before cooling back to around 8 degrees below normal to finish the period.

Billings MT: The past five days have been above normal ranging from 8-11 degrees above.

Portland OR: The past five days the region has enjoyed temps about 8-18 degrees above normal.

Major Weather Impacts Discussion for April 1, 2013:

Day 1-3: An area of low pressure will push along the East Coast of the United States bringing a few showers to portions of the Southeast, while high pressure builds in over the Northern Plains bringing another round of below normal temps to the region. A weak upper level disturbance will move on shore over the West Coast creating an area of showers along the California and Oregon borders. Day two will bring the high pressure area into the Western Great Lakes along with the colder air, while a new low pressure area develops along the Texas and Mexico border bringing showers and thunderstorms to the area. Another area of low pressure will move through the Northern Rockies. The period will finish with the high pressure area over the Ohio River Valley, while the strong low pressure area will push along the Northern Gulf of Mexico bringing very heavy rains to the Gulf Coast region and isolated thunderstorms. A new storm system will begin to approach the West Coast.

Day 4-7: The period will start with copious amounts of rainfall along the Gulf Coast from Mississippi into the Florida Panhandle. High pressure will build back in over the Northern Plains again. The storm system along the West Coast will bring a large area of rain and higher elevation snows to the entire West Coast. Day five will have the major low pressure system moving up the East Coast bringing heavy rainfall to the region, while high pressure slides into the Ohio River Valley with another low pressure area moving into the Northern Plains where heavy rain and some snowfall will occur in the region. A new storm system will begin to approach the Pacific Northwest. Day six will have high pressure along the Southeast coast, while the storm system pushes into the Ohio River Valley bringing showers to the region. A new low pressure area will be developing in the Southwest during this time as well. The period will finish with a large area of low pressure over the Central Plains which will be bringing heavy rain, some snow and even some severe weather to the region.

Day 8-12: The period will start with the potential of a large severe weather outbreak over the Southern Plains. By day nine the center of the low will move into the Northern Plains bringing a large area of heavy rainfall along with some snow fall and even severe weather. Day ten an area of low pressure will be moving into the Northeast bringing rain and some snowfall to the region. A new low pressure area will be developing over the Gulf of Mexico bringing heavy rain and some thunderstorms to the Northern Gulf of Mexico region. An area of high pressure will slide into the Central Plains. High pressure will dominate the West Coast from the Rockies to the coast. Day eleven the storm over the Gulf of Mexico will continue to bring showers northward. The period will finish with a low pressure area moving into the Ohio River Valley. Expect to see showers, thunderstorms and some severe weather in the region especially along the cold front which will extend into the Gulf Coast region.

Long Range Outlook: The period will start with a powerful storms system moving up the East Coast bringing heavy rain and some thunderstorms to the region, while high pressure slides into the Plains. The middle of this period will have a frontal boundary along the East Coast which will bring showers to the region, while high pressure will slide into the Gulf Coast region. A new storm system will be moving into the Northern Rockies. The period will end with multiple storm systems moving along the Northern portion of the United States, while high pressure dominates the Southeast.

Today’s Spotlight Forecast is for Fargo ND:

Monday: Partly cloudy and cool with a high near 28F. Winds will be from the northwest 5-10mph and overnight lows will be around 15F.

Tuesday: Partly cloudy and warmer with a high near 30F. Winds will be from the northeast 2-7mph as overnight lows fall to around 22F.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with light rain showers. High temps will be around 41F and winds will be from the southeast 12-17mph. Low temps will be around 31F and total rainfall will be around 0.05-0.10 inches.

Thursday: Partly cloudy and cool with a high near 36F. Winds will be from the northeast 7-12mph as overnight lows fall to around 25F.

Friday: Mostly cloudy with periods of rain mixing in with snow. High temps will be around 37F and low temps will fall to around 29F. Winds will be from the northeast 5-10mph and total rainfall amounts around 0.01 inches and total snowfall around 1.2 inches.

Ask The Weatherman for April 1, 2013:

Question: What is the wind flow around a low pressure system?

Answer: Today’s question has to do with weather dynamics. When we look at low pressure areas for wind flow we are reminded that low pressures move against the clock, meaning that they flow counter-clockwise. The best way for wind directions is that on the eastern side of the low, the winds will flow from the south-north, while on the back side or western side of the low the winds blow from the north to the south.

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Green Energy Weather Report for April 1, 2013:

Wave Energy: The Northeast will see energy levels around 717mwh, while the Mid-Atlantic will have levels around 53mwh. The Southeast will see ranges around 105mwh, along with the Northern Gulf of Mexico rates will be around 105mwh. The Southwest will see ranges around 548mwh, as the Northwest will have the highest values around 2155mwh.

Solar Energy: A good portion of the United States will enjoy a good amount of solar energy today with the Southeast and parts of the West Coast the exception as they will see showers.

Wind Energy: A pocket of wind energy will develop behind the storm system along the Southeast.

Hydro-Energy: The Southeast will have some short term rain energy, and also along the West Coast near California there will also be a pocket of rain that will lead to short term energy.

April 1 Weather and Your Wallet (San Diego CA):

High pressure to the west will bring onshore flow to the region.

Dining: A cool day but nice day to enjoy lunch outdoors.

Transportation: There should be no weather related issues with traffic today across the city.

Shopping: Today will be a good day to get out and enjoy some spring sales.

Electricity: This evening there will be a small window that will require heating. The forecast for today is around 6.5HDD’s.

Yard Work: Today will provide the region with a small period this afternoon of GDD’s which will be around 8.5 for the day, so make sure to get the flowers out so they can enjoy the sunshine.

Construction: There will be no issues with the outdoor construction projects today as the region will enjoy plenty of sunshine.

Outdoor Venues: Today will be an excellent day to get out and enjoy the boardwalk as well as heading out to the Zoo to enjoy some outdoor time, or even taking the dog for a walk this afternoon.